Delustering cellulose ester fabrics



Patented May 1944 UNITED STATES PATENT ormcs psws'rnamo omumsn as'rsa rsnnics Onslow B. Eager. Glenside. Pa assignor to Riihm a Haas Company, Philadelphia, 2a., a oorporation of Delaware No Drawing. Application August Serial No. 406,201

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4 claims. (01. 8-135) finely ground material in the spinning solution.

The filaments thus prepared, however, present difficulties in dyeing and finishing and in the case of a heavily dyed fabric the delusterant eflect is lsrsely oflset by'the dye on the surface. Surface coatings on the filaments have not heretofore been satisfactory because of loss from wear, cleaning. etc.

It is now found that in the case of fabrics made with cellulose acetate filaments'or fibers the cellulose acetate iadelustered by treating the fabric with an aqueous bath containing to 4% of a dispersedcopolymer prepared from acrylonitrile and ethyl acrylate, the percentage of acrylonitrile forming from 50% to 90% and the ethyl acrylate forming from 50% to 10% of the copolymer.

The dispersions which are useful in this inven-' tion may be prepared by known methods. In a particularly convenient procedure a mixture of monomeric acrylonitrile and monomeric ethyl acrylste is stirred into an aqueous solution of an emulsifying agent and a polymerization catalyst.- The emulsion is heated imtil polymerization begins. More of the monomer may be added as polymerisation proceeds until a desired solids content isreached. v

For application to acetate fabric concentrated dispersion is added to a finishing bath to give solids contents between or 8%. Such baths deposit about to about 4% copolymer solids on cloth passed through the bath. The amount retained depends not only upon the concentrationof the treating bath but also upon the amount of treating liquor left in the fabric. Excess liquor may be removed by squeezing, slot extracting; or other procedure; The fabric is then dried by passing through a closed heater or over heated cans.

acetate dye, was padded through a bath containing 2% of a dispersed copolymer formed from sulfate. Excess solution .was removed by gen about /495 and about5 completely delustered.

- The resulting fabric is uniformly and strongl delustered. The finish is wa'shfast and highly resistant in wear or abrasion. I

Further details of the delustering of cellulose acetate fabrics are given in the following illusr trative examplem;

trample 1 A sheer. all-acetate fabric, dyed with a red 25% of ethyl acrylate and of acrylonltrile, emulsified and polymerized in a solution containing isooctylphenoxy-ethoxyethoxy ethyl sodium sulfonate and ammonium persulfate. Excess bath liquor was expressed by rollers, leaving a take-up of about 90%. The fabric was. then dried in a loop drier heated at about 220 I". The

handle of the fabric was pleasant and the color was bright though the finish was matte.

Example 2 was dried on a frame. The resulting fabric was pleasing both as to appearance and as to handle. A full, uniform matte 'eifect was obtained.

ll'mmple 3 A pink, all-acetate, woven fabric was passed through a bath containing 5% of a polymeric dispersionprepared by stirring and heating a mixture of 20 parts of ethyl acrylate and parts of acrylonitrile emulsified in 200 parts of a solo" lion containing six parts of hydroxy stearyl so dium sulfonate and two parts of ammonium queezing and the wet fabric dried on a tent-er. The resulting fabric was soft and full without gloss.

. Example 4 A knitted, cellulm acetate, tubular fabric was padded through a bath having finely dispersed therein about 4% of a copolymer prepared from a mixture of 50 parts of ethyl acrylate and t0 Parts of acrylonitrile. The impregnated fabric was then spread by an internal shoe and dried. The resulting fabric had a full hand and was 'Emmi le 5 A mixed cotton, rayon, and cellulose acetate fabric wasps-dried through a bath ccntag a dispersed copolymer p pared from a mixture of 20% ethyl acrylate and 80% acrylonitrile. The

cloth was. dried on cam. The finished fabric was 2 I 2,sso,os2

other cellulose esters or mixed ester, such as acetobutyrate. I

I claim:

1. A process of delustering cellulose acetate in a fabric which comprises impregnating said fabric with a dispersion which consists of about Y to about 6% of a copolymer prepared from a with a dispersion which consists of about to is about 6% of a copolymer formed from a mixture of 50% to 90% of acrylonitrile and 50% to 10% 01' ethyl acrylate suspended in an aqueous medium. retaining thereon about 54% to about 4% of said copolymer based on the weight of the iabric. and drying the impregnated fabric.

3. A cellulose acetate fabric delustered with discrete particles c of a copolymer prepared irom a mixture of 50% to 90% of acrylonitrile and 50% to 10% of ethyl acrylate in an amount oi to 4% on the weight of the fabric.

4. A fabric containing cellulose acetate delustered with discrete particles consisting of a copolymer prepared from a mixture of 50% to 90% of acrylonitrile and 50% tol0% of ethyl acrylate in an amount 0! to 4% based on the weight of the fabric.

ONSLQW B. HAGER. 

